ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: scale · capital · craft · lie · band · cold · shower · spell

  1. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. craft — a skill
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. spell — magic
  8. capital — money
  9. band — a ring
  10. cold — not warm
  11. shower — to wash
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — size or range
  14. spell — letters
  15. capital — a city
  16. lie — to recline
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. shower — rain
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — an illness
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. craft — boats
  23. spell — a short time
  24. band — a music group

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com